From dialysis outcomes quality initiative to kidney disease outcomes quality initiative: New clinical practice guidelines in nephrology - What the practicing pharmacist needs to know

The use of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) to guide rational treatment of patients is hardly novel to most areas of medicine or pharmacy but is a relatively new concept in nephrology where practice patterns have been dictated predominantly by opinion. This situation has undergone significant and dramatic change in the last few years, however, and CPGs have now been produced to address the management problems that face clinicians caring for patients with kidney diseases. This is the first of a series of planned articles designed to review these new kidney-related CPGs that are most likely to affect the practice of pharmacy in many areas. This article provides a broad overview to the background of the development of CPGs in nephrology and the methodology used. Subsequent articles will identify in some detail current and pending CPGs that relate to pharmacotherapy.